Hunting Shadows
by GenocideOfColors
Summary: The School created a baby named Shadow using Max and Fang's DNA, and now they want her back. But they get Max instead. Now, Shadow has to find the flock in order to save her mother - and possibly the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. If you're looking for a story with drama, romance, and friendship, press one. If you're looking for a story with enough humor to make you pee yourself laughing, press two.**

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**Disclaimer: James Patterson, unfortunately, owns Maximum Ride. -sighs- Oh well. I however, own this plot, and if you steal it I will be forced to come to your house and watch you. Constantly.**

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I was awakened by a soft, gentle shaking, and something licking my face.

"Mmhmm." I mumbled. I heard low chuckling, and then the lights were flipped on.

"Ahh!" I screeched. "It burns!" I burrowed underneath the covers, but I soon felt tickling fingers and the loud bark of an excited dog.

"Mom!" I groaned, flipping over onto my bag, than instantly flipping back because of my wings. My mother laughed, and I finally opened my eyes to meet her dark brown ones. She smiled.

"Get up," she said, smiling. "You've got school." I grumbled some more, but eventually, I did flip back the covers, shivering as the cool, Washington air reached my arms. It was mid-fall by now, and the air was chilly—I would have to wear a jacket to school today, over my usual hoodie and jeans.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked as I hopped down the stairs and positioned myself on one of the schools at the kicthen island. Mom examined the stove.

"Um..." she said, biting her finger-nail, a bad habit for her. I'd been trying to break it for years. I sighed, and laughed.

"Do want me to make it?" I asked, smiling. Mom, smiling sheepishly, nodded.

"We only have one frying pan left, and I don't want to burn it..." I grinned and got a carton of eggs from the refrigerator. Mom got a carton of milk and poured it into two glasses.

I loved my mom, I really did, but I would be the first to admit that she had problems. She had never told me very much about her old life, but I knew that twenty-four years ago, she had been created in what she called a "cesspool of evil," or, the School. I knew that when she was fourteen, they took her DNA, and the DNA of her best friend, a man named Fang, and created me. My mommy stole me, and named me Shadow. She said it reminded her of my father, somehow. She said I looked a lot like him, but I wouldn't know. I've never met him. But she says he was tall, and had long, dark hair, and eyes as impenetrable as a brick wall, and big, black wings, that turned almost purple in the sunlight. Whenever mom would talk about him, she would get sort of dreamy-eyed, and then change the subject. I think she still loves him, in a way. Sometimes, at night, when I would have a bad dream, she would tell me about her adventures as Maximum Ride, incredible bird girl, saving the world one maniac scientist at a time. I would giggle at the parts when her two friends Iggy and the Gasman would blow things up, and when little Angel would mind control people, and when Nudge would draw metal objects to her. I loved hearing about how they defeated the Erasers, and the Flyboys, and Mr. Chu. I loved hearing it all, and I especially loved hearing about my father. I knew I'd inherited my dark, seven foot long wings form him, a well as my dark eyes. My hair, though, was from my mother—light brown, so light it was almost blonde, with lighter streaks of blonde all around my head. She called me her Dark Angel, but in a loving way. I knew that I was the only thing that she had that was a link to her old life. The one she had before she ran away with me to Washington. She's done a great job raising me, but I know she _does_ have problems. She jumps at the smallest noises, and she never lets me go outside by myself, even if I am six years old. She hates the sound of birds flapping their wings outside, and the smell of lasagna. But I love her anyway, and she loves me.

"Maggie, off the couch!" Mom called to our dog Maggie, a little Yorkshire Terrier, as she jumped onto our old and tattered couch. When Maggie didn't move, Mom just rolled her eyes and put the chocolate mix into our milks. Maggie suddenly whimpered, and jumped off the couch to cower behind me. Mom cocked her head, listening, and then suddenly, the house exploded.

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**All right then, so we know that Shadow is Max and Fang's daughter, but the school created her, so Max and Fang didn't conceive her. It's just for the sake of the plot, because I don't like the stories where Fang gets Max pregnant. This one's all on the school. So, R&R chickies, don't be shy. I read all my reviews as soon as they pop up in my inbox, and it makes my heart get all mushy and gushy inside. Thank'ee very much!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey kiddos. I'm at school right now, so I can't post these chapters, but I will post them as soon as I get home, promise. So, read, review, do whatever. Just don't steal an obese chipmunk's acorns. They really don't like that.**

**R&R cheeky monkeys!**

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Mom's face became a mask of horror when the first strike hit. It suddenly dawned on me that people _wanted_ to kill us. They were going to take _pleasure_ in killing me and my mother. I was thrown to the ground and shoved under the kitchen island.

"Don't move," my mother hissed at me. I nodded, terrified, and scooped Maggie into my arms. I realized that we were both trembling. I heard the second strike, and it shook the entire house. A few rooms away, I heard my mom swear and the sound of breaking glass. I shut my eyes and tried to think happy thoughts, thoughts about fluffy bunnies and fuzzy ducks, chocolate, ice-cream, Maggie, kitties, the color orange, my mommy's face...

_BOOM._ The third strike was the biggest, and suddenly I heard gunfire. And then all was silent. My stomach was in my throat, and I couldn't breathe. _Where was my mother?_ Suddenly, an arm grabbed me and yanked me out from under the island. I screamed, but a strong hand clamped over my mouth.

"Shh, sweetie, it's only me!" Mom said, letting go of my face. I took a deep breath of air.

"Mommy, what's happening?" I whimpered. Mommy cuddled me close, whispering my name over and over.

"They've come for us," she said, tears in her eyes. She set me down, and looked me hard in the eye. "Shadow, I need you to take this pack, and run away from here, as far away as you can get. They're going to take me, but they can't take you, I won't let them. Take Maggie and _find the flock_. Do you understand?" She handed me a worn out back-pack, and a picture. Fighting tears, I nodded, trying to brave like mommy.

"I promise." I said. I hugged her, and then she handed me my jacket. I zipped Maggie up inside it, and hugged mommy one last time.

"I love you, always and--"

"Forever," we finished together. I dimly heard the front door being bashed in, and shouting, and then Mom was shoving me out the door and into the air. I pumped my wings hard, hovering in the air as I watched my mother lower herself into a fighting stance. Tall, robot-like creatures marched into the kitchen, and one hit my mom. One noticed me, pointed, and they started to file outside, aiming their guns at me. My mother saw, and she mouthed a single word to me as I turned to fly away—_Go._

I was tired. It was cold this high up in the air, and my wings were getting frosted. I scanned the forest beneath me, looking for a suitable place to land. I saw a clearing, and banked steeply.

I wasn't exactly a pro at landing, and I stumbled to a stop, blowing chunks of hair out of my face. I unzipped my jacket, letting Maggie jump out and lick the frost out of her fur. I sat down on a rock, and that was when I felt it. I slight crinkle in my jacket pocket. I unzipped it, and found a picture. It was obviously old, probably form ten or eleven years ago, and I realized who was in it immediately. In the middle was a tall, slender, younger version of my mother, probably fourteen or fifteen. She was laughing, and her arm was around the waist of a tall, dark, moody-looking boy. I knew at once that he was my father. My mother was laughing, and above her, a little blonde girl, around my age, was hovering and playing with her hair. On my mother's other side was a little boy with spiked blonde hair, looking annoyed because she was ruffling his hair. next to him was a tall, pale, blonde boy, and I knew he must be Iggy. There was a little black dog with wings, who I knew was Total the talking dog. No Nudge though. I flipped the picture over.

_The flock, minus the Nudgester, cuz she's the one taking the picture! ZOMG!! 3_ I smiled. That sounded like something Nudge would say, according to my mom. I tucked the picture carefully into my pocket, not wanting to lose it. This was a valuable piece of information, and a link to my family. It was what was going to help me save my mother.

"Come on Maggie," I said, standing up. I did a quick re-con—by my guess, I was near the Washington/Oregon border, and I knew that the School was in California. But Mom had told me to get as far away as I could, and going to California would be disobeying my mother's wishes.

I had to find the flock.

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**Okie dokies, next chapter will be up soon, me promises.**

**R&R?**


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